


Torn at the Shoulder

by Anorlost



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluffiness, M/M, break-up, but not with each other, getting caught in the rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-14 05:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11201292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anorlost/pseuds/Anorlost
Summary: Walking home from work, Kylo finds someone who might need his old beat up coat more than he does.





	Torn at the Shoulder

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece that I wrote for Xandrei. Enjoy!

The rain hadn’t quite soaked through Kylo’s jacket, but it was threatening to.He ought to get another one.A better one.Something waterproof would be a good idea, but until he had the money to spare and the presence of thought to go and buy one, he would be stuck with the one he had.It wasn’t as if he needed it though.He didn’t get sick easily, so a bit of rain never bothered him much, aside from the annoyance of being wet.Kylo supposed he could put it off just a little bit longer.As usual, he figured he would wait until he absolutely needed something new before he replaced the old one.

His shift had finished when he started walking home.Perhaps he should have seen if there was a spare umbrella, or a hat.Something to cover his hair.He hadn’t though, so his hair was soaked, with water laced with the natural salts from his skin dribbling down his face and occasionally stinging his eyes.As he blinked through the rain he spotted a man standing, looking out into the street like he was watching for a car.Normally the sight wouldn’t have interested Kylo, but the man was surprisingly well dressed.His blue raincoat was fitted to his slim frame, and despite being well tailored and made from quality fabric, it had been torn at the shoulder.As he approached, Kylo noticed the man scowling into the street, his brows furrowed as if they might protect his eyes from the rain.He was red faced, either from cold or emotion as he stood, arms crossed, looking like he might either cry or explode from frustration.

“Waiting for a cab?” asked Kylo.

“I’m sorry, I’m not interested in sharing a taxi,” said the man sharply, “I can give you the number for a cab company if you want though.”

“No…it’s just the closest company is still pretty far out.You’re probably going to be waiting for at least twenty minutes,” explained Kylo.He spoke slowly, taken aback by the man’s accent.Looking at his clothes, Kylo assumed he wasn’t from the neighbourhood, but it appeared that he might not even live in the country.Was he visiting?What could have possibly brought him out to a part of town with barely anything in it except a few small businesses and a bad reputation?

“Twenty!” hissed the man, checking his watch.He looked out into the street again, his brows now knitted with disappointment, as if he’d just had the letdown of his life.

“There’s a sheltered bus stop over there.You can at least stay out of the rain while you wait,” suggested Kylo.

The man looked around before he spotted it.He sighed and growled, “Yes, I think I’ll do that.Thank you.”

Kylo took a step to follow him, “Do you want me to wait with you?”

The man stopped and turned, looking Kylo in the face scrutinizingly.Kylo didn’t think that he looked like a thug, though some people found his height, build and asymmetrical features intimidating.He supposed he looked a bit scruffy, a trait he must have inherited from his father, given the descriptions that he had heard, but he didn’t try to dress offputtingly or stand aggressively.Once upon a time he had though, when he had been a teenager with baggy jeans, an emo aesthetic and a sizable chip on his shoulder.He had grown up a little since then, he supposed.

“It’s fine,” the man replied, turning and walking double-time towards the shelter, holding a hand over his eyes to try to block the rain.

Kylo followed him at a slow pace, feeling a slight difference in comfort and temperature as he entered the shelter.The man stood, keeping his arms crossed with his hands tucked under his arms for warmth.He was shivering a little and his hair, which was probably a bright red when dry, was dark and drenched.

“I just got off work,” said Kylo, trying to be conversational.When the man didn’t reply he added, “I’m a line cook.My restaurant’s just up there.”

“Your restaurant?” grunted the man, looking up through the corner of his eye.

“The one where I work,” corrected Kylo.Thankfully they had kept him on in spite of his temper.Apparently nobody else was quite as good as him, so his occasional outbursts during rushes were tolerated by the rest of the staff.

The man stood quietly, not making any effort to carry on the conversation as he stared at the ground, fighting back something as he breathed at a deliberately slow pace to calm himself down.

“Are you okay getting back yourself?” asked Kylo.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” the man asked, his tone dipping as it threatened harshness.

“Because you seem a bit lost.Maybe a bit out of place too,” Kylo replied, ignoring the attitude the man was taking.

The man sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly, “I came out to visit someone, and now I’m going back.”

That must have been the barebones gist of it, but Kylo had a feeling there were more details that the man either couldn’t talk about, or didn’t want to.He spotted the tear on his raincoat and let out a wordless sound of frustration and disgust as he ran a finger over it, assessing the damage.His face scrunched slightly as he appeared to be fighting back tears.

Kylo could only imagine what had happened.A fight?Had he been mugged?It was just his coat that was damaged, so at least physically the man must have gotten out of whatever it was unharmed.What had happened to that person he was supposed to meet?Either way, something hadn’t panned out the way the man had been expecting it to.Something had gone terribly wrong, and now he was left with a torn up raincoat in a bus shelter, waiting for a cab that was taking forever to arrive.

“It’s on the seam.It’s probably an easy fix,” said Kylo.

“Yes, I suppose it is.No use in crying over it,” muttered the man.

He looked like he was going to cry anyways.

“The bloody rain’s stinging my eyes,” the man added, wiping at them.

Kylo nodded, letting the man tell himself whatever he liked to make himself feel better.He started working at his coat, undoing the fasteners in the front so he could peel it off and shake the water out of it.He looked over at Kylo and cautiously said, “I broke up with my boyfriend.”

“That…that sucks,” said Kylo awkwardly.

The man became less cautious when he heard the answer, feeling Kylo was a safe person to talk to.He shook his head, “I suppose I should have prepared for this.He brought me here and I knew I wouldn’t have a way back if I tried to leave.I think that’s why he did it.Didn’t think I’d have the stones to run…”

That…sounded awful.

The man forced himself to grin, “But…that’s the end of that.It’s over now.All over…”

Despite his smile, he didn’t seem very happy about what he was saying.He seemed a little bit frightened.This was a new beginning, a change from whatever he had just gotten away from, but change could be scary.Even if it was a change that was for the better anyways.

The man looked down the street, craning his neck to try to catch a glimpse of a black cab, “Twenty minutes you said?”

“Yeah, something like that,” replied Kylo.

“Sorry, I was cross.I shouldn’t have been,” said the man firmly.

“It’s alright, customers give worse than that,” said Kylo with a light shrug.He looked at the slighter man, “Hey, do you want my jacket?”

“What?” asked the man, arching his brow.

“You look cold, so I thought you might need it.I was thinking of getting a new one anyways,” explained Kylo.

He man smiled sardonically, “Trying to pawn your rubbish off on me?”

“What?No…” said Kylo, looking down at the coat.He supposed it was a bit rattier than he had initially thought, “I mean, it’s not trash.”

“Hm…” said the man, arching his brow, now a little bit amused, “Alright, if you’re throwing it out anyways, might as well use it one last time.”

“Sure,” said Kylo, beginning to peel the damp jacket off of himself.

“That is, of course, on the condition you let me help you get a new one,” said the man, looking up at Kylo.His expression was hopeful, bordering on becoming needy.He might have been trying to salvage at least one good thing out of his day.

Kylo looked down at him sheepishly, “Hey…it’s not that I don’t think you’re cute, but you’re sort of on the rebound.Do you maybe want to think for a bit before you start looking for a-”

“It doesn’t have to be anything.Just shopping, maybe coffee, we’ll see if we’re compatible from there,” said the man.Kylo had never heard anyone use the word ‘compatible’ when asking about dating, but this man didn’t exactly seem normal.He fished into his pocket and dug out his wallet, pulling out a card, “You can reach me at that number.The e-mail is a outdated.”

“Sure…” said Kylo, studying the card.So his name was Hux.A. Hux.

The man coughed, though Kylo thought nothing of it.He coughed again and looked at Kylo expectantly, “Jacket?”

“Oh, oh!Right, sorry,” said Kylo shoving the card in his back pocket, hoping it wouldn’t get too wet as he held out the jacket for Hux to put on.

The red haired man did, pulling it around himself like a mantle, “It’s warm…I think it’ll keep me from catching cold.”

“I hope it helps,” said Kylo.

A black cab began to slow to a crawl, creeping along the curb.Hux darted to the entrance of the shelter, “You’ll call?Promise you’ll call.”

“Promise,” said Kylo, raising a hand in goodbye.

The red haired man waved back and dashed to meet the cab.Kylo stood in the shelter with his hand raised until Hux had disappeared inside the cab and around the corner of a worn down building.When he was gone he had a look at the card.A. Hux…

It was a little bit crazy, but it had a chance of working out.


End file.
